Caster for tubular legs of furniture and other uses.



EASTER FOR TUBULAR LEGS 0F FURNITURE AND OTHER USES.

- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1914.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

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antennsaa'rns PATENT canton ALBERT B. 13155, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, T0 UNIVERSAL CASTEB 8r. FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF NEW YOBK, N. 11, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CASTER "530B TUBULAB. LEGS OF FURNITURE AND OTHER USES.

Application filed June 1, 1914:.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Anni-arr B. D188, a resident of Newark, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters for Tubular Legs of Furniture and other Uses, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings.

The invention relates more particularly to casters for tubular legs, of the detachable type in which the rotary caster pintle is detachably held in a pintle sleeve or socket. which, in turn, is supported by a frame of some sort serving to center the sleeve and pintle, or serving to retain the sleeve or socket within the leg, or more usually serving both these purposes.

One object of the invention in its most complete form is to simplify and to chcapen the construction of the casters, and yet to make them very durable and reliable in action.

Another object is to provide a very sim le way of attaching toget er the frame, the eg supporting disk or plate and the pintle sleeve.

A still further object is to accomplish this in such a manner that spring members of the pintle sleeve shall be protected from excess of strain by means of the supporting frame, and that the sleeve and frame shall be able to adjust themselves freely within a limited ran e of movement angularly in respect to the eg supporting plate, thus avoiding unnecessary strain between those parts, as the frame accommodates itself during the action of the caster to varying positions in the leg, due to its imperfect fit within the tubular le In the following description and the accompanying drawings, the invention is set forth in the best form known to me, but it should be apparent to those skilled in the art, that each of the combined parts are susceptible of great variety of form.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the improvement as applied to a caster having a simple leg supporting late without a leg mount; Fig. 2 1s a side view of the same pintle sleeve and leg supporting plate without the other parts; Fig- 3 is :1 plan view of the same; Fig. 4 is an clevational view, partly in central section, of the invention as applied to aleg mount caster; and Fig. 5 is a planview of the same Specification of Letters fatent.

Patented Jan. 25, lead.

Serial Ho. MSLBGQ.

with the leg mount and leg shown in section on the plane 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the tubular leg 10, caster wheel 11, jaws or horn l2, and detachable pintle 13, may be of any suitable form, and with or without ball bearings 14. The pintle should have a head and neck at its upper end, as shown, for enabling it to be held within the pintle sleeve by the sprin members thereof. The leg supporting p ate 17 approximately but movablv fitting the pintle sleeve is preferably annularly corrugated to strengthen it. The frame 20 for the pintle sleeve is shown in a well known, patented form of spring frame which I prefer to use, though, obviously, other forms of frame may be used and combined for the purposes of this invention, in the manner hereafter described. The frame shown is a spring frame of sheet metal bent as shown, and approximately fitting and occupyin, the relatively large interior space of the tu ular 1e around the pintle sleeve, as well seen in Flg. 5. The frame is perforated at its upper horizontal member and slotted at its two lower horizontal members so as to receive and approximately fit and laterally support the sleeve, preferably allow ing some resilient expansion of the lower parts-of the frame, so that it may act outward upon the interior of the leg and frictionallv retain itself in the leg, and thereby hold all parts of the caster to the leg. As will be understood, the frame may be used to center the sleeve at both ends, or the centering at the lower end may be artly or whol y accomplished by means of the leg sup orting plate. The pintle sleeve is pre erably economically made from a flat sheet metal blank rolled to tubular form to fit the pintle, leaving an open seam or line at the meeting edges, as shown in Fig. 2. At its lower end it is flanged outward at 26 beneath the leg supportmg plate, as a means of securing the two movably together.

The features of the various parts just described are susceptible of great variety, and they do not constitute the present invention.

Comin now to the improvements. it will be seen that the upper end of the sleeve 25 extends through the central perforation in the upper end of the frame 20, and has outturned members or ears 27 which overlie the frame, thereby confining it by its ends between themselves and the leg; supporting plate, and flange 26. The upper end of the pintle sleeve is divided or slotted vertically, forming four spring fingersBS, slightly inturned to act upon memoir of the pintle and to hold the pintle against dropping out, while allowing it to be forcibly pulled out by hand, whendesired, or thrust in, by the yielding of thespring fingers.

The perforation in the upper end of the spring frame through which the leeve projccts should be made of size to leave a slight clearance for the resilient movement of the spring fingers 2S, and yet be Small and tight enough to support these spring fingers against any undue straining when they are forced outward, either by the passage of the head of the pintle, or in accidental handling in the factory, or elsewhere. The outtnrned cars 27 constitute retaining means for confining the frame, but theyshould allow sufiieient freedom of the frame-and leg supporting disk to permit the slight rocking of the latter relatively to the sleeve, and to perinit the spring action of the lower ends of the frame relative to the sleeve in the form of frame shown.

it will be seen that the Structure of the sleeve described confines the frame and the supporting plate by means of the two ends of the sleeve. while allowing ample accommodating movements among these three parts, also that the projecting upper. end of the sleeve forms, in part, the retaining ears 2?, and, invpart, the spring fingers 28, and directly co-acts with the uriper end of the frame to centrally support t e upper end of the pintle, ,and to be itself supported and protected by the perforation and surrounding metal of the frame aeje'inst injurious strains and deformation. This construction combines great simplicity andeconomy with great strength and reliability in use.

In assembling the parts. all the parts may be finished with the exception pf turning out the cars 27, and then after inserting the sleeve through the leg supporting plate and the spring frame, the mere turning out of the ears 27 will secure the parts together, confining the frame at its respective ends and allowing the accommodating movement, as described. It thus avoids the need of other means of attachment for the spring frame, and it avoids any tendency of the upper end of the spring frame. if not locally confined, to work or be forced upward and olfthe upper end of the pintle sleeve.

In the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figs. 4 and 5, a double leg supporting plate consisting of the upper and lower plates 18 and 19. holding and securing an ornamental leg'mount'30, are. used. This form of leg supporting plate and leg mount is in extensive use. The ornamental leg mount-30 is secured by and between the periphery of the leg plate 19 and the upper plate, and the two plates are riveted together by turning over the inner edge of one of them upon the inner edge of the other through the center perforation where they surround the pintle sleeve, so that the leg mount is secured by means of the two plates and the two plates are held together independently of and without their being rigid with the sleeve. The upper plate 18 is made from a square blank, the corners of which are turned up to fit around, embrace and center the end of the leg as at 31. and thus relieve the ornamental leg mount 30 from part or all strain against the leg when the furniture is moved about. In this embodiment of the invention, as in Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the leg supporting plates and the spring frame are loosely confined by and between the ends of the pintle sleeve, and that the sleeve and frame can rock in accommodating themselves to the expected inexaotness of fit within the leg, without disturbing or straining either the leg mount or the joint which holds the two leg supporting plates 18 and 19 together.

I claim the following:

1. In a caster for tubular legs having a pintle sleeve and a pintle detachable therefrom and a leg supporting plate and frame around the intle sleeve, the improvement which comprises the pintle sleeve having one or more spring fingers or members extending upward 'tirou h a perforation in the frame and adaptcf to act on the pintle to retain it with a limited resilient play within the perforation restricted thereby suffi- 'ciently to prevent undue straining of the spring action, the Said sleeve also having one or more outturned ears or projections above the'said perforation by which the frame is confined on the pintle tube.

2. In a caster for tubular le S having a pintle sleeve and a pintle detac iable therefrom and a leg supporting plate and frame around the pintle sleeve, the improvement which comprises the pintle sleeve having one or more spring fingers or members extending upward through a perforation in the frame and adapted to act on the pintle to retain it with a limited resilient play within the perforation, restricted thereby sufiiciently to prevent undue straining of the spring action of the spring members.

3. In combination in a caster, a leg supporting plate and frame adapted for laterally supporting the pintle tube in a tubular leg, a pintle sleeve on which the leg supporting plate and frame are loosely mounted and movable in respect thereto, a pintle detachably held in the pintle sleeve, the said sleeve extending through a perforation in the upper part of the frame and having one or more outward projections above said perforation for confining the frame at its upper end, the caster having means for preventing the leg supporting plate falling from the sleeve.

4. In a caster of the detachable pintle type having a pintle sleeve and a frame surrounding it the improved means of downwardly con ning the frame and supporting the sleeve therein comprising the sleeve extending upward through a perforation in the upper portion of the frame and thereby supported and having one or more ears or en argements above the perforation and having spring retaining means for acting on the appropriate pintle.

5. In a caster of the detachable pintle type having a pintle sleeve and surrounding frame and leg supporting plate, the combination of the sleeve surrounded and externally supported and strengthened at its respective ends b the leg supporting plate and a portion or the frame respectively, the said sleeve in turn being enlarged at its respective ends and thereby confining between its respective ends the said plate and frame with some freedom of play.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses; May 26, 1914.

ALBERT B. DISS.

.Witnesses:

Hanonn Burner, V. P. BOSTWICK.

Qopiu 0! this patent may be obtained for five cent: each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

